Latching mechanism



March 5, 1945- G. R. CHERVENKA LATCHING' MECHANISM Filed Dec. 24, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 /m/EA/To ze 65o E65 R. CHE? vf/v/m,

Afro RNE# MalCh 6, 1945- G. R. c|-iERvEr\|KA` LATCHING MECHANISM Filed Dec. 24, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Mar. 6, 1945 AUNITED STATES PATENT f OFFICE j 2,370,841 v, LATCHING MECHANI'SM George R. Chervenka, St. Louis, Mo. Applicationpcember 24, 1943, serial No. 515,529

6 Claims.

- This. invention relatesv generally to latching mechanisms and, more particularly, to a certain new and useful improvement in means or mechanisms especially, though not exclusively, adapted for latching in or to its frame or casing the door of a clothes-locker or the like.

On August 22, 1933, Letters Patent No. 1,923,- 903 were issuedto Mr. Frank Albach and to me for a locker latching mechanism of unique structure` Such latching mechanism is quite eflicient, but yet, experience has demonstrated, may, through and by the manipulation of a tool by an unauthorized person, be pickedf enabling opening of the door and then riiiing the locker of its contents.

My present invention has for its chief object the improvement generally of such latching mechanism, to the end that picking of the latching mechanism is practically impossible.

And with the above and other objects inview, my invention residesin the novel features of form, construction, arrangement, and combination of parts presently described and pointed out vin the claims.

and its casing; Figure 4 is a transverse or horizontal sectionaly view taken approximately along the line 4--4, Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a similar view to Figure 4, showing a latch-member in the act of engaging its keeper in the cl-osing of Vthe door; l

Figure 6 is an enlarged detail view, partly in elevation and partly in section, of the door and latching mechanism, illustrating disengagement between a latch-member and its keeper for en' abling opening of the door; and

Figure 7 is an enlarged perspective view of one of the co-operable latch-members of the mechanism.

Referring'now more in detail and by reference characters to the drawings, which illustrate a preferred embodiment of my invention, A desig-` nates an apertured frame or casing Aadapted for closure by a preferably hinged or swingable'door B, presently described. y

when closedris herer illustrated.

vforwardly ypresentedl keeper 2 vapproximately the form of a hook having a bill 3 and anv upwardly presented latch-receptive notch, as at 4, the keeper 2 and its bill 3 .beingl preferablybeveled, as at 5, along the forwardly presented vertical margin thereof, for purposes shortly appearing. Each bracketC, it might: be here; stated, also supports, a yielding stop or'bu'er 6 `adapted for cushioning the `swin'g'ablemovementof the door B to closed position.v l

In the present embodiment of my invention, the mainypanel I of the door B is formed along its free margin with an approximately rectangu lar housing D comprising an inwardly presented ange or Wall'8 having an inturned lateral flange or wall 9, in turn, havingits free margin I0 presented outwardly toward the inner face-of the door-panel l, as shown, the ange' or wall K 9 being suitably at corresponding .intervals therealong longitudinally slotted or apertured, asat II, for accommodating the respective keepers 2 on movement of the door B- toclosed position, as presently more fully appears. e

' More or. less'snugly fitting for endwise longi.l

tudinal movement-in the .door-housing lin-is alatch-bar E approximately cfu-shape in cross-` section, the bar E having its bightl I2 in flat- Wise continguous relation tothe housing wall 9 and its side walls or legs I3, I3', presented outwardly toward the door-panel l intermediate the housing walls 8 and I( I, as best seen in Figures 4 and 5. As shown, the bar-bight I2 is provided.,

longitudinally therealong with slots, asat I4, for registration, when" in door-closingor latching position, with the respective slots Il, and, for purposespresently appearing, the bar -side-walls I3, |13', are suitably punched, -as at' I5, at corresponding locations therealong and, therebyintegrally provided with inwardly presentedvopw posed rigid lips or lugs I 6, I6.

F, F, designate ,the` latch-members proper of the mechanism, which correspond innumber to the provision of a pair of normally overlapping yielding or spring jaws I9, I9, oppositely beveled along th-eir front or forwardly presented margin, as at 20, and each having a straight rear or rearwardly presented margin, as at 2 i, right angularly disposed to the main side walls 22 of the looped section j, which latter walls, atv suitable locations on their rearwardly presented margins, are suitably cut-away and thereby recessed, as at 23.

So constructed, each respective latch-member F is suitably disposed within` the bar E with the jaW-equipped ends of its side walls 22 presented downwardly and springwise interengaged at its recesses 23 with the bar-lips i6. Each latch-member F is thereby securely mounted upon the bar E with its respective jaws I9 located rearwardly of, in operative registration with, and their opposed oblique or beveled faces or margins presented toward, a bar-slot I4.

At suitable intermediate locations adjacent its free margin, the panel I of door B is provided longitudinally with spaced slots 24 for accommodating screw or attaching members 25 which engage the upper and lower ends of an angleplate 26 presented upon the inner face of the door B, as well as also the ends of a handle or manipulative member G presented on the outer face of the door B for convenient manual engagement, the plate 26 having an offset or lateral lip or extension 21 tting in a slot 28 in the adjacent bar side-wall I3'.

Normally, under the pull of gravity, the bar E is in so-called lower position, when the slots I4 and il and the jaws I9 are in registration for keeper-engagement. Hence, on the door B being swung to closed position, each respective keeper 2 will enter into and through its companion or co-operable registering slots II and I4 and its beveled bill 3 will engage the beveled or cam faces or margins 20 of the jaws I9 and, on continued movement of the door B to closed position, yieldingly or springwise spread and pass between the jaws I 9 and travel to the rear thereof, when the jaws I9 will yieldingly return to normal overlapping relation with the hook-portion 4 of the keeper 2 engaged by the ilat overlapping rear walls 2I thereof. The door B will thereby be most securely locked in closed position, any picking, manipulating, or tampering of the jaws is to permit opening of the door B being practically impossible.

However, the bar E, being unlocked, may, by means of handle G, be readily endwise shifted or slidably moved in its housing D and the 'jaws I 9 of its several latch-members F thereby elevated, as indicated in Figure 6, from and out of engagement with the several keepers 2, when the door B may be conveniently swung to open position. Of course, on release of upward pull upon handle G, the bar E and latch-members F auto matically return to normal or door-latohing position.

As best seen in Figures 1, 2, and 3, handle G is formed with a chambered extension 29 Open at its lower and inner sides to accommodate and house, when the latch-bar E is in normal or doorlocking position, an apertured keeper 30 suitably mounted and fixed on the door-panel l, the housing Eahaving apertures in its side walls for registration with the aperture of the keeper 30 for receiving the hasp of a padlock, not shown, for locking the bar E in lowered, and consequently the door B in closed, position.

As shown in Figure 2, a pad 3l is suitably disposed in the housing 29 for cushioning engagement of the handle G with the keeper 3U, and preferably a protective plate 32 is suitably mounted on the outer face of the door-panel 1 to eliminate defacing of the door B by an attached pad or hasp lock.

Preferably also the door B is suitably provided with a bolt 33 for projection through a slot suitably provided for the purpose in the bar-wall I3' for selectively retaining or locking the bar E and its attached latch-members F in their normal lower or door-locking position.

The latch-mechanism is exceedingly eicient in the performance of its intended functions, and it should be understood that changes and modiications in the form, construction, arrangement. and combination of the several parts of the mechanism may be made and substituted for those herein shown and described without departing from the nature and principle of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. Door-latching mechanism including a latchbar and a latch-member, the latter being mounted on the bar and having a pair of opposed yielding jaws provided with arcuately surfaced oblique edges for riding against the edge-face of a keeper projected therebetween.

2. Door-latching mechanism including a latchbar and a U-shaped latch-member having springsteel legs capable of torsional twisting movement as they flex toward and away from each other, the latter being mounted .on the bar and at its ends having a pair of opposed yielding jaws for engaging a keeper projected therebetween.

3. Door-latching mechanism including a latchbar and a U-shaped latch-member having springsteel legs capable of torsional twisting movement as they flex toward and away from each other, the bar and member being constructed for interengagement for securing the member upon the bar. and said member at its ends having a pair of opposed yielding jaws for engaging a keeper projected therebetween.

4. Door-latching mechanism including a U-shaped latch-bar having spring-steel legs capable of torsional twisting movement as they iiex toward and away from each other, a looped latch-member, and lips on the bar having engagement with the side walls of the latch-member for mounting the latch-member on the bar, the latch-member at its ends having a pair of opposed yielding jaws for engaging a keeper projected therebetween.

5. Door-latching mechanism including a latchbar of U-shape in cross-section, a looped latchmember, and lips on the bar having engagement with the side walls of the latch-member for mounting the latch-member on the bar, the latchmember at its ends having opposed normally overlapping yielding jaws for engaging a keeper projected therebetween.

6. .Door-latching mechanism including a latchbar having spaced parallel side walls, inwardly presented opposed lugs projecting from the op-f posing faces of the side walls, anda. U-shaped spring-steel latch-member adapted for snaptted retentive engagement with said lugs and thereby being he1`d operatively upon the latchbars, said latch-member having'freely swingable legs spaced inwardly from the side Walls and y being provided at their lower extremities with 

